WO2016084026A1

WO2016084026A1 - Process for the manufacture of articles of clothing

Info

Publication number: WO2016084026A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/059138
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Santi
Original assignee: Beste S.P.A.
Priority date: 2014-11-27
Filing date: 2015-11-26
Publication date: 2016-06-02
Also published as: ITMO20140346A1

Abstract

The process for the manufacture of articles of clothing (I) comprises the following steps: - cutting a fabric (2) into a plurality of portions (3) having predefined shape and dimensions; - distributing at least a layer (4) of thermo- adhesive material, according to a predetermined pattern, on each of the portions (3) of the fabric (2); - coupling in two by two each of the adhesivized portions (3) to form at least a part (5) of an article of clothing (6); - filling the parts (5) with a padding element (7); - assembling the parts (5) to obtain the article of clothing (6).

Description

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF CLOTHING

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing.

Background Art

In many areas of industrial activities the need is particularly felt to renew products and find new ones in order to better distinguish the same from those of the competition and to encourage consumers to buy one's products.

In this regard, it is underlined that in the clothing sector it is known to look for innovative production techniques and materials in order to offer consumers new products with an improved value for money.

It should be noticed, in fact, that the commercial success of the articles of clothing is often linked to the novelty of the product itself, to current fashions and trends, but mostly to the quality of materials with respect to the price of the garment.

In detail, with reference to articles of clothing padded with animal and/or synthetic down it is known that the latter has thread stitching, i.e. the component parts of the garment, such as the sleeves and bust, are assembled by sewing machine or by hand.

Padded garments of known type are impermeable to water and wind, as well as thermal insulated.

However, the seams and fabric lose their efficiency over time and tend to break and cause the down to come out.

Furthermore, it is known that the maintenance of padded articles of clothing is often difficult and especially causes the fabric to wear out and/or tear off over time.

So, it is easy to understand that the wear of fabric and seams as well as the down coming out result in the loss of insulating capacity of the article of clothing, forcing consumers to replace the article of clothing itself.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which eliminates almost completely the thread stitching processes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which obtains articles of clothing which are compatible and resistant to home maintenance.

One object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which obtains articles of clothing having substantial impermeability to wind and water, as well as a remarkable lightness.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which allows to obtain articles of clothing without appendices and having a remarkable formal neatness.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which meets the mentioned commercial needs, by providing an article of clothing that is very appealing to consumers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing which allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art within the ambit of a simple, rational, easy, effective to use as well as affordable solution.

The above mentioned objects are achieved by the present process for the manufacture of articles of clothing having the characteristics of claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better evident from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a process for the manufacture of articles of clothing, illustrated by way of an indicative but non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 10 illustrate schematically the process according to the invention. Embodiments of the Invention

The process 1 comprises the following steps:

cutting a fabric 2 into a plurality of portions 3 having predefined shape and dimensions (fig.2);

- distributing a layer 4 of thermo-adhesive material, according to a predetermined pattern, on each side of the portions 3 of fabric 2 (fig.3); coupling in two by two each of the adhesivized portions 3 to form at least one part 5 of an article of clothing 6 (fig.4);

filling the parts 5 with a padding element 7 (fig.5);

assembling the parts 5 to obtain the article of clothing 6 (fig.6).

The fabric 2 used in the present process, shown by way of example in Figure 1 , preferably comprises polyamide fibers.

Preferably, such fabric 2 has a weight of less than 55 g/m2.

Advantageously, the fabric 2 comprises about 12% of elastomer.

Alternative embodiments with different fabrics cannot however be ruled out. The thermo-adhesive material comprises polyurethane.

The layer 4 of thermo- adhesive material has a thickness between 20 μηι and 60 μηι.

Preferably, the layer 4 of thermo-adhesive material has a weight per square meter between 20 g and 70 g.

Advantageously, the thermo-adhesive material has a softening point above 80°C.

In detail, such thermo-adhesive layer 4 is a double-sided adhesive layer.

In the context of this treatise, with "double-sided adhesive layer" is meant a thermoplastic film having the upper face and the lower face provided with an adhesive.

Such double-sided adhesive layer has, therefore, a lower face glued to the fabric

2 and an upper face covered by a protective film 9, the latter subsequently removed to allow gluing between the portions 3.

The step of cutting (Figure 2) comprises, in addition to cutting the fabric 2 into a plurality of portions 3, the cut of the layer 4 into a plurality of shaped segments 10, 1 1 depending on the shape and dimensions of each of the portions

3 of fabric 2.

In the present case, the portions 3 have shapes and dimensions such as to be coupled two by two to form the component parts of the article of clothing 6 such as, e.g., the sleeves, the front and the back of the torso.

In addition, with shaped segments 10, 1 1 are meant strips of thermo-adhesive material intended to seal peripherally and internally the portions 3 of fabric 2, containing the padding element 7. It is underlined that, in the present process 1 two types of strips 10, 1 1 are used. Each strip 10, 1 1 has a different thickness depending on the final user, in the present case according to whether such strips 10, 1 1 of thenno-adhesive material are used to seal peripherally 10 or internally 11 each of the portions 3. Advantageously, the strips 10 are able to seal peripherally the portions 3 of the article of clothing 6 and have a thickness of 25 μηι.

These strips 10 have different shapes and dimensions according to the shape and dimensions of each portion 3.

In reference to the embodiment represented in the figures, the strips 10 have a width of about 12 mm.

Different embodiments cannot however be ruled out in which the strips 10 have a different width.

Preferably, the strips 1 1 are able to seal internally the portions 3 of the article of clothing 6 and have a thickness of 50 μηι and a width of about 4 mm.

It is easy to understand that the maximum height of each segment 10, 1 1 can be modified according to the production requirements, the fabric characteristics and the type of the article of clothing 6.

The step of cutting comprises a laser cutting job.

In detail, the laser cutting is done by a laser machine having a work surface with dimensions compatible with the maximum dimension of the portions 3 of fabric 2.

It is not ruled out however that the step of cutting is made with different types of machinery or manually.

The step of distributing (Figure 3) comprises the positioning of each strip 1 1 on each of the portions 3 to define a plurality of sites 12 able to retain and/or to distribute evenly the padding element 7.

In other words, with sites 12 is meant a never closed shaped site intended to prevent the padding element 7 from falling downwards.

By way of example and as shown in Figure 3, each portion 3 has a plurality of horizontal lines defining each site 12.

It should be noticed that the height and number of sites 12 may vary according to the dimensions of the fabric 2 and the type of the article of clothing 6. The step of distributing takes place by means of hot-pressing of the shaped segments 10, 1 1.

The hot-pressing takes place by means of a press having a suctioned plane, it is not ruled out however that it may take place through the use of machinery of different type.

Furthermore, it is underlined that the above mentioned press allows to operate in a sequence first by means of hot pressing and subsequently by means of cold pressing.

Advantageously, hot pressing has a first working temperature above 100°C. The step of coupling (Figure 4) comprises coupling two by two of each of the adhesivized portions 3 to form at least a part 5 of the article of clothing 6.

It is emphasized that each portion 3 is coupled to the corresponding portion 3 while maintaining an opening 13 intended to allow the insertion of the padding element 7.

In fact, each portion 3 is coupled to the corresponding one through the removal of the protective film 9 on each peripheral strip 10.

Nevertheless, the opening 13 is defined by the non-removal of the protective film 9 on one side of each portion 3.

Such removal operation can be done manually or in an automated manner through the use of machinery.

With reference to Figure 3 some of the portions 3 are represented, by way of example, having the strips 10 without the protective film 9 with the exception of one side of the portion 3 which has the protective film 9.

The step of coupling occurs by means of pressing the adhesivized portions 3. This step involves a process of two stages in sequence, in this case, a first hot- pressing stage and a second cold-pressing stage.

It is stressed that this process allows, through the first hot-pressing stage, the rapid adhesion of each of the portions 3 to the respective adhesivized portion 3 and immediately after, by means of the second cold-pressing stage, the cooling and solidification of the double-sided adhesive layer.

The first hot-pressing stage takes place at a second working temperature substantially equal to 130°C. It is not however ruled out that hot pressing may take place at a different temperature compared to the aforementioned one.

Moreover, the second cold-pressing stage prevents the fabric from shrinking as a result of the solidification of the double-sided adhesive layer.

The step of filling (Figure 5) comprises the filling, using the padding element 7 of each of the parts 5 of the article of clothing 6.

In detail, with padding element 7 is meant a down of animal or synthetic origin. Advantageously, the down 7 is of animal origin, in this case of goose or duck. Preferably, the down 7 has a fill power greater than 700 cubic inches and a percentage of disarticulated fibers and feathers less than 10%.

It is easy to understand that this composition of the padding element 7 does not affect the overall lightness of the article of clothing 6.

The passage of the padding element 7 takes place by means of the opening 13. This step can be done manually or in an automated manner, that is through the use of specific machinery for the insertion of the down 7.

In this case, the down 7 is inserted with different weights and types of feathers. Advantageously, each site 12 is filled in such a way as to ensure the even distribution of the padding of the article of clothing 6.

At the end of the step of filling, the opening 13 is closed again by means of the removal of the protective film 9 and subsequently welded.

The welding therefore first takes place hot and subsequently cold through the use of the press described above.

It is emphasized that the above pressing allows to have an article of clothing 6 free of irregularities and with a smooth outer surface.

Next, the step of assembling (Figure 6) takes place through the assembly of the parts 5 to get the article of clothing 6.

Preferably, the above mentioned step of assembling is done by means of an ultrasound machine able to join the parts 5 together.

The ultrasound machine has a fixed head and a horizontal sonotrode.

Other types of ultrasound machines and/or machinery having different characteristics cannot however be ruled out.

Furthermore, the ultrasound machine is able to trim each part 5. In detail, such machine trims peripherally each part 5 of about 7 mm.

Advantageously, the ultrasonic welding is reinforced by the application of one or more tapes 15 of adhesivized fabric on the reverse side of the article of clothing 6.

In detail, this tape 15 is obtained by applying at least one layer 8 in the same thermo- adhesive material previously described, on an additional piece 14 of fabric 2 and thereafter by cutting such additional piece 14 into the tapes 15. The layer 8 is applied to the additional piece 14 of fabric by hot pressing through the press described above.

Preferably, as shown in Figure 8, the layer 8 is applied evenly over the entire surface of the additional piece 14 of fabric, thus making the latter thermo- adhesive.

Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that the additional piece 14 of fabric is adhesivized through the use of different materials.

With reference to the particular embodiment shown in the figures, the layer 8 has a thickness equal to 25 μπι, although alternative embodiments are not ruled out in which the layer 8 has a different thickness.

Preferably, the tapes 15 have a width of about 12 mm.

Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that each tape 15 can have different dimensions depending on the characteristics of the article of clothing 6 and of the particular position on the article of clothing itself.

It is emphasized that each adhesivized tape 15 can be applied to the article of clothing 6 by means of the press and a thermo-taping without, however, excluding the use of different types of machinery.

In addition, as a result of technical impediments, the step of assembling can occur by traditional sewing machines.

Preferably, the sewing thread used is a thread comprising polyester and elastomer.

The assembly of the sleeves and/or collar for example can take place by means of the above-mentioned sewing machines or, alternatively, by hand.

Advantageously, even in the case wherein the assembly takes place by means of conventional sewing machines and/or by hand, all parts sewn are reinforced by the application of strips of the adhesivized tape 15 described above.

It is easy to understand that these strips have a different width depending on their application.

The strips used for the reinforcement of the sleeves have e.g. a width of about 15 mm, while the strips used for the reinforcement of the remaining parts 5 of the article of clothing 6 have a width of about 12 mm.

The possible application of rims, air vents and/or the addition of tailoring components such as e.g. zippers or buttons are not excluded from the present treatise.

The process 1 may also comprise the washing of the article of clothing 6 and its subsequent drying.

Washing can take place, e.g., in water at 40°C and drying may preferably take place in the air.

It is stressed that washing does not affect the technical features of the article of clothing 6 but, on the contrary, increases its performance by a value equal to approximately 25%, thus greatly enhancing the functional value of the article of clothing itself.

It has in practice been found how the described invention achieves the intended objects.

It is underlined that the particular device to eliminate almost totally the processes of thread stitching allows to obtain an article of clothing which is compatible and resistant to home maintenance.

Furthermore, the present invention allows to obtain articles of clothing with a substantial impermeability to wind and water, as well as a remarkable lightness. Finally, the present invention allows to obtain articles of clothing without appendices and having a remarkable formal neatness.

Claims

1) Process for the manufacture of articles of clothing (1), characterized by the fact that it comprises the following steps:

cutting a fabric (2) into a plurality of portions (3) having predefined shape and dimensions;

distributing at least a layer (4) of thermo-adhesive material, according to a predetenriined pattern, on each of said portions (3) of said fabric (2);

coupling in two by two each of said adhesivized portions (3) to form at least a part (5) of an article of clothing (6);

- filling said parts (5) with a padding element (7);

assembling said parts (5) to obtain said article of clothing (6).

2) Process (1) according to claim 1 , characterized by the fact that said thermo- adhesive material comprises polyurethane.

3) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said layer (4) of thermo-adhesive material has a thickness between 20 μηι and 60 μιη.

4) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of cutting comprises cutting said layer of thermo- adhesive material into a plurality of shaped segments (10, 1 1) according to the shape and dimensions of each of said portions (3) of fabric (2).

5) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of cutting comprises a laser cutting job.

6) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of distributing comprises the positioning of each of said shaped segments (10, 1 1) on each of said portions (3) to define a plurality of sites (12) able to retain and/or to distribute evenly said padding element (7).

7) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of distributing comprises hot-pressing of said shaped segments (10, 1 1).

8) Process (1 ) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said hot-pressing has a first working temperature above 100 °C. 9) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of distributing comprises cold-pressing of said shaped segments (10, 1 1).

10) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of coupling comprises hot-pressing of said adhesivized portions (3) at a second working temperature substantially equal to 130 °C.

1 1) Process (1 ) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said padding element (7) comprises down of animal or synthetic origin.

12) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said step of assembling comprises welding said parts (5).

13) Process (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said welding is the type of an ultrasonic welding.

14) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least a reinforcement phase of said ultrasonic welding.

15) Process according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that said reinforcement phase comprises at least a step of applying a layer (8) of said thermo-adhesive material onto at least an area of an additional piece (14) of said fabric (2).

16) Process according to one or more of claims 14 and 15, characterized by the fact that said step of applying comprises hot-pressing of said layer (8) on said additional piece (14).

17) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said reinforcement phase comprises at least a step of cutting said additional piece (14) into a plurality of sections (15) able to reinforce said article of clothing (6).